1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic recording and reproduction apparatus for performing information recording and information reproduction with a tape being wound around a rotatable head cylinder over a prescribed angle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, the size of magnetic recording and reproduction apparatuses used for video tape recorders and the like has been reduced more and more.
Hereinafter, a conventional magnetic recording and reproduction apparatus described in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 11-273194 will be described.
FIG. 1 of Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 11-273194 is a plan view of a conventional magnetic recording and reproduction apparatus in a tape cassette mountable state or position (hereinafter, referred to as the “unloading mode”). FIG. 15 of Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 11-273194 is a plan view of the magnetic recording and reproduction apparatus in a state where information recording to and information reproduction from a tape can be performed and also a tape can be fast-forwarded (hereinafter, referred to as the “play mode”). FIG. 3 of Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 11-273194 is a plan view of the magnetic recording and reproduction apparatus shown in FIG. 1 (unloading mode), except that a sub chassis is not shown. FIG. 5 of Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 11-273194 shows a structure of a mechanism for driving an S boat and a T boat provided on a rectangular main chassis. As shown in FIG. 3 of Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 11-273194, a mechanism for driving a plurality of tape pull-out members (for example, the mechanism shown in FIG. 5 of Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 11-273194) is provided on the main chassis. The plurality of tape pull-out members are, for example, an S boat 39, a T boat 40, a tension arm 12 (FIG. 15) and a T4 arm 28 (FIG. 15) for pulling out a tape from a cassette and winding the tape around the rotatable head cylinder 38.
Due to such a structure, the main chassis needs to have an area for supporting the above-mentioned various elements. As a result, in the state shown in FIG. 15, the main chassis is substantially flush with the sub chassis along a forward end thereof, i.e., an end opposite to an end along which the rotatable head cylinder 38 is provided. It is not possible to further reduce the size of the magnetic recording and reproduction apparatus.